Postnatal changes in mink (Mustela vision) mineral metabolism assessed by micro- and macroelements in blood and fur

Mineral deficiency remains relevant in fur farming. That is why researchers are still developing methods to test whether mineral supply of animals is sufficient. Fur, unlike blood which composition strongly depends on many factors, is convenient biomaterial to control mineral levels in animal body. In this paper, we revealed a relationship between the blood and hair mineral composition and studied for the first time whether these parameters reliably reflect mineral welfare of the standard male minks fed with commonly used diets. Standard male minks of Saltykovskii breeding farm (Moscow Province) were grouped by age. Male minks, due to sexual dimorphism, are twice as large as females and all changes in their body manifest more quickly and reliably. Blood and hair were sampled from healthy standard male minks during postnatal ontogenesis, i.e. in 30-day-old animals and in 90-day-old animals, additionally, hair samples were taken from male minks aged 2 months, 7 months and 12 months...